So

yesterday

we

spoke

a

little

bit

about

knowing

God,

knowing

the

different

sides

of

God

for

those

of

you

that

weren't

here.

We

talked

about

sometimes

wanting

or

receiving

a

God

that's

more

palatable

to

us,

that

fits

our

taste

buds.

We

talked

about

how

we

live

our

life

on

easy

mode

a

little

bit,

picking

and

choosing

verses

we

like,

portions

of

scripture

that

we

like,

and

expecting

and

accepting

the

Yahweh

that

fits

our

needs

in

a

given

season.

I

mean,

if

we

need

healing,

he's

our

healer

God,

but

he's

nothing

else.

And

he

is,

and

he

can

be,

and

that

is

who

he

is.

He

has

many.

He

has

many

dimensions

to

him,

and

we

will

spend

all

of

eternity

beholding

that.

But

the

truth

is

the

God,

just

like

we

mentioned

being

the

lamb,

he

is

also

the

lion.

Just

like

being

the

kind

and

compassionate

God,

he's

also

the

judgment

God,

the

wrathful

God,

the

God

who

won't

take

anything

less

than

utter,

pure

and

complete

holiness.

And

we

talked

about

there's

a

standard

of

behavior

that

is

expected

of

you

today.

I

would

like

to

delve

a

little

bit

more

into

that

standard

and

what

that's

supposed

to

look

like

today.

You

with

me

so

far?

All

right,

let's

turn

our

attention

to

the

book

of

First

Peter,

chapter

one,

verses

13

to

16.

Therefore,

gird

up

the

loins

of

your

mind,

be

sober

and

rest

your

hope

fully

upon

the

grace

that

is

to

be

brought

to

you

at

the

revelation

of

Christ

as

obedient

children,

not

conforming

yourself

to

the

former

lusts

as

in

your

ignorance,

but

as

he

who

called

you

is

holy,

you

also

be

holy

in

all

your

conduct,

because

it

is

written,

be

holy,

for

I

am

holy.

Many

of

you

probably

rolled

your

inward

eyes

at

me

because

this

is

probably

the

8,958th

time

that

you've

heard

this

spoken

in

a

church.

But

there

is

a

reason

people

like

me

keep

bringing

this

up.

Because

one,

it

is

an

unreal

challenge

for

us

Christians

today,

and

clearly

we

haven't

mastered

it.

So

I'd

like

to

spend

a

little

bit

time

talking

about

what

this

emphasis,

why

Peter

says

this,

why

you

keep

hearing

about

it,

and

why

it

is

one

command

as

Christians

you

cannot

get

away

from.

And

so

I'd

like

to

do

a

little

bit

of

teaching

today,

if

that's

okay.

So

we're

going

to

talk

about,

if

we

can

go

to

the

next

slide,

the

three

phases

of

salvation.

You've

all

heard

this

before.

You're

not

going

to.

This

is

not

to

any

of

you.

You

probably

heard

these

terms

before

and

would

like

to

unpack

these

as

we

study

a

little

bit

tonight.

So

three

phases

of

salvation.

Before

I

confuse

anybody

else,

these

are

all

part

of

one

and

the

same

process.

Okay?

You're

like,

I

didn't

accept

Jesus

Christ

three

times.

I

am

so

cooked.

No,

no,

it's

good.

We

have

justification

first.

Sanctification

and

glorification.

These

are

terms

that

are

prominently

displayed

and

discussed

in

the

Bible.

But

I'd

like

to

unpack

them

a

little

bit

tonight.

First

we

have

justification.

Justification

is

actually

not

commonly.

It's

a

biblical

term,

but

it

takes

its

form

in

legal

roots.

I

went

to

law

school,

so

allow

me

to

put

that

education

to

use

because

I

don't

practice

anymore.

So,

you

know,

let

me.

Let

it

be

useful

for

something.

It's

a

legal

term

of

art.

And

yeah,

I

have

a

case

for

you.

It's

fine,

I

won't

bore

you.

In

law

school,

we

used

to

have

this.

We

used

to

have

to

do

these

things

called

case

briefs,

where

they

would

give

us

like

a

70

page

opinion

and

it's

like,

all

right,

well,

read

it

and

tell

me

what

this

guy

speaking

in

Elizabethan

English

meant.

And

it

was

always

an

utter

and

total

failure.

But

I

won't

put

you

through

that

today.

The

case

you

see

is

actually

from

1921.

As

you

see,

it's

a

seminal

case

regarding

the

concept

of

self

defense.

And

it

became

a

landmark

case

that

has

since

been

referred

to

many

times.

Before

there

was

a

contractor

by

the

name

of

Brown

who

was

working

in

Pennsylvania.

I

don't

know

why

bad

stuff

happens

in

Pennsylvania,

but

it's

not

my

part

of

Pennsylvania,

okay?

I'm

just

saying

my

part

of

Pennsylvania

is

pretty

good.

So

out

in

Pennsylvania,

there's

a

contractor,

he

has.

He's

going

to

work

every

day.

He

starts

beefing

with

this

guy

at

work,

all

right?

I

have

no

idea

why.

They

don't

really

get

into

it,

but

back

in

the

day,

it

really

was

like

the

wild,

wild

west,

you

know

what

I

mean?

So

it's

like

there

was

no,

hey,

man,

what's

up,

what's

up?

No,

it

was

just

like,

bang,

you

know,

it

was.

It

was

pretty

wild.

So

this.

So

they

start

to

get

into

it

a

little

bit,

like

here,

here

and

there.

And

this

guy

is

Brown

and

his

co

worker.

They

start

to

jaw

at

each

other

back

and

forth.

And

at

some

point,

the

co

worker

actually

brings

a

knife

and

like

assaults

him

twice

on

two

different

occasions,

all

right?

And

so

by

this

point,

the

first,

you

know,

Brown

goes,

all

right,

fool

me,

fool

me

once,

shame

on

you.

Fool

me

twice.

I

guess

technically

still

shame

on

you,

because

I

didn't

get

it.

But

I'm

not

gonna

get

got

the

third

time.

So

the

third

time,

right?

Like

this

other

time,

he

knew

he

was

gonna

run

into

his

co

worker.

He

actually

pulls

up

strapped.

He

has

a

piece

on

him.

He's

like,

not

today,

brother.

And

so

the

guy

comes

at

him

with

a

gun,

starts

to.

I'm

sorry,

with

the

knife,

starts

to

lunge

at

him.

He

retreats

like

25ft

back

into

the

little

cabin

that

they

had

set

up,

grabs

his

firearm,

and

from

like

a

distance

about

20,

25ft,

shoots

him

and

kills

him.

Now,

obviously,

when

a

dude

dies,

it's

arrest

first,

ask

questions

later,

okay?

That's

usually

how

the

law

works.

And

we'll

figure

out

the

details

later.

So

they

arrest

this

guy.

The

court

actually

convicts

him,

right?

The

first

time,

they're

like,

buddy,

you

just.

You

just

offed

somebody.

You're

going

to

jail.

And

so

he.

He's

like,

but

you

don't

understand.

And

so

he

appeals

it.

It

goes

to

the

circuit

court

of

appeals.

The

judges

there

too

are

like,

yeah,

no,

still

killed

somebody.

You're

staying

there.

But

Brown

over

here

was

like,

is

nobody

else

getting

this?

Seriously,

like,

he

tried

to

kill

me

with

a

knife

on

two

separate

occasions.

It

was

either

me

or

him.

And

he

takes

this

case

all

the

way

up

to

the

Supreme

Court.

And

it

takes

Justice

Oliver

Wendell

Holmes

penning

an

opinion

that

has

since

been

cited

a

thousand

times

after

to

come

up

with

this

idea

of

nullifying

the

duty

to

retreat.

Basically

what

that

means

is

if

someone's

coming

at

you,

you

are

justified

in

defending

yourself.

That

is

what

the

process

or

that

is

where

this

concept

of

justification

comes.

That

wasn't

the

first

time

something

like

this

has

happened,

but

that's

one

of

the

first

times,

at

least

in

American

history,

that

it's

been

codified

to

this

nature.

And

so

the

Supreme

Court

decides

to

acquit

him,

and

he's

finally

like,

thank

God

someone

finally

gets

it.

That's

what

justification

is.

Let's

go

to

the

next

slide

real

quick.

The

next

slide

gives

you

a

little

bit

of

a

basis

of

what

justification

is.

All

right?

What

it

is,

is

a

legal

declaration.

This

is

from

a

Christian

standpoint

now,

not

Brown.

Right?

Forget

about

the

case.

I

know

y'all

still

with

that.

God

forgives

us

of

our

sins

and

declares

us

righteous

on

the

basis

of

Christ's

work.

That

is

the

what

of

justification.

When

does

it

happen?

It

is

a

one

time

thing.

There

is

no

deliberation.

There

is

no

general

body.

There

is

no

conference.

When

you

accept

with

your

mouth

and

believe

in

your

heart

that

Jesus

Christ

is

Lord.

Boom.

You're

in

the

family

of

Christ.

How

does

it

happen?

By

faith

alone,

resting

on

Christ's

imputed

righteousness.

Here's

the

big

way

where

it

actually

differs.

Let's

come

to

the

through.

What

does

justification,

what

does

the

process

look

like?

How

did

it

happen?

Through

which

means

or

mechanism

did

you

become

justified?

And

that

is

the

finished

atoning,

death

and

resurrection

of

Jesus

Christ.

All

right,

now

listen,

in

the

case

of

Brown,

it

was

his

act.

It

was

his

reasonable

mind

that

said,

don't

you

get

it?

Somebody

was

trying

to

kill

me.

He

had

to

make

his

own

case

for

himself.

What's

different

here

is

Jesus

steps

in

and

says,

forget

the

judge,

forget

the

jury,

forget

the

executioner.

I

am

the

perfect

sacrifice.

I

lay

down

my

life

for

my

child.

That

is

what

justification

is.

And

it

is

a

marked

difference

from

how

this

world

sees

things

or

how

the

Bible

sees

justification.

Because

it

is

not

based

off

of

your

works

or

your

anything.

And

thank

God

for

that

because

we

don't

have

anything

worth

offering.

It

is

the

basis

of

Christ's

work

and

Christ's

work

alone.

And

as

a

result,

we

have

peace

with

God

and

no

guilt

before

him.

So

that's

what

justification

is.

Next

we

have

the

second

concept

called

sanctification.

So

sanctification

is

not

a

one

time

thing.

It

doesn't

happen

in

a

moment

in

time

as

we

will

spend

the

bulk

of

our

time

today

discussing.

It's

a

progressive

transformation.

God

makes

us

holy

because

we

can't

do

that

ourselves.

Or

else,

you

know,

Jesus

coming

down

wouldn't

need

to

happen.

He

conforms

our

character

to

Christ

over

time.

We

are

on

this

continuum

where

each

day

you

take

one

step

closer

and

closer

and

closer

to

God

and

to

looking

like

Christ.

When

does

it

happen?

From

the

moment

that

Romans

10:9

takes

place

and

you're

accepted

into

the

family

of

God,

you

start

to

change

and

become

and

conform

and

metamorphosize

into

the

character

of

Christ

until

the

day

you

die.

Or

until

the

trumpets

sound

and

the

Lord

descends

and

Jesus

Christ

comes

to

call

us

home.

How

does

this

take

place?

Once

again,

by

absolutely

nothing

you

did

except

your

belief

in

what

Jesus

did.

By

faith.

Working

through

love,

cooperating

with

the

Spirit,

being

in

tune

with

the

Spirit,

being

led

by,

by

the

Spirit.

Once

again.

It

is

through

Christ

living

in

you

and

me,

through

this

Spirit

that

allows

us

to

do

this.

By

the

way,

I

have

references

here.

I'm

clearly

not

reading

them

for

lack

of

time.

They're

mostly

there.

Just

so

you

know,

I

didn't

make

this

up,

okay?

It's

in

The

Bible,

go

look

at

it.

I

swear.

The

result

is

increasing

victory

over

sin

and

growth

in

Christlikeness.

So

obviously,

you

know,

I,

like

most

of

you,

was

probably

really

shocked

when

I

got

baptized.

And

for

like

five

seconds,

I

felt

extra

holy.

I

was

like

13

and

I

was

like,

I

need

to

pray

for

my

food.

This.

This

chicken

curry

will

nourish

my.

You

know,

it

was.

It

was

intense.

My

mom

was

like,

sure,

look

at

him.

He's

just,

you

know.

That

lasted

for

like

three

hours.

I

still

felt

the

same

pangs

of

temptation,

but

there

was

something

different.

I

knew

that

I

could

overcome.

I

knew

that

I

wasn't

dead

to

my

sin

anymore

because

there

was

death

to

death

and

life

in

me.

The

result

is

increasing

victory

over

sin.

Growth

in

Christ

like

this,

it

is

an

increase.

It

is

a

process.

It

is

progress

that

takes

place

over

time

until

you

achieve

the

next

phase,

which

is

glorification,

the

progress,

the

process

that

leads

to

perfection.

So

when

the

trumpet

does

sound

and

the

Lord

does

descend,

we

have

the

finale.

God

perfects

us,

raising

our

bodies.

All

the

acne

that

I

had

will

go

away.

You

will

all

be

6

foot

3

and

jacked.

You

will

not

love.

You

won't

hate

the

shape

of

your

nose.

At

least.

This

is

all

the

stuff

that

I

imagine.

And

you

will

be

perfect,

most

importantly,

in

God's

eyes.

And

this

is

obviously

in

the

future.

I

look

like

me

and

you

look

like

you.

Oh,

well,

hasn't

happened

yet,

but

maybe

tomorrow.

Once

again,

by

God's

power

alone,

through

nothing,

you

did.

Not

through

a

10%

tithe,

not

through

church

attendance,

not

through

fasting

and

prayer.

This

is

God's

work.

And

he

fulfills

and

brings

that

to

completion

in

you.

So

he

raises

you,

transforms

you

once

again

through

Christ's

exalted

lordship,

when

he

comes,

takes

over

this

earth

and

hands

over

the

keys

to

God

the

Father

and

says,

lord,

it's

done,

it's

finished.

And

the

result

is

God's

final

victory.

And

Scripture

is

what

guarantees

this.

This

in

a

nutshell.

And

these

are

deep

concepts

that

you

could

spend

hours

about.

You've

definitely

heard

about

it,

and

I'm

not

going

to

do

it

any

justice,

but

I

felt

it

necessary

to

lay

a

foundation

for

what

it

is

that

we're

talking

about.

So

with

that

in

mind,

when

we

go

back

to

that

verse

that

we

read

earlier

in

First

Peter,

chapter

one,

verses

13

to

16,

and

it

says,

but

as

he

who

has

called

you

is

holy,

you

also

be

holy

in

all

your

conduct,

because

it

is

written,

be

holy,

for

I

am

holy.

I

would

ask

you

what

phase

that

we

just

talked

about.

Does

that

pertain

to.

Absolutely

right.

Somebody

said

sanctification.

It

is

not

justification.

Because

justification

is

actually

the

next

slide.

If

we

go

to

the

next

slide,

we

should

have

the

ro.

Yeah,

let's

go

to

the

one

after

this.

The

Romans

road

to

salvation.

This

is

the

process

that

we

all

went

through

when

we

met

Jesus

Christ.

By

the

way,

if

you

ever

want

a

surefire

way

to

evangelize

somebody,

the

Romans

road

to

salvation

is

it

my

youth

pastor

showed

me

like

15

years

ago.

And

it

is

the

simplest

thing.

It's

all

literally

right

there.

For

all

have

sinned

and

fallen

short

of

the

glory

of

God.

No

one

is

righteous.

Through

one

man,

sin

unto

the

world,

death

through

sin

and

through

death,

sin

spread

to

all

men

because

all

sinned.

For

the

wages

of

sin

is

death.

But

the

gift

of

God

is

eternal

life.

God

demonstrates

his

own

love

to

us

and

that

while

we

were

yet

sinners,

Christ

died

for

us.

And

finally,

if

you

confess

with

your

mouth

and

believe

in

your

heart

that

Jesus

Christ

is

Lord

and

God

has

raised

him

from

the

dead,

you

will

be

saved.

That

is

the

process

all

of

you

went

through.

Hopefully

when

you

accepted

Jesus

Christ

as

your

Lord

and

Savior.

In

a

nutshell,

there

might

have

been

a

lot

of

tears

here,

a

little

bit

of

snot

here,

a

little

bit

of

depression

and

anxiety

here,

but

eventually

it

got

you

to

here,

where

the

heart

believed

and

the

mouth

moved

and

you

confessed

the

name

of

Jesus

Christ

and.

And

you

became

one

with

him.

But

as

we

just

learned,

that

was

justification.

That's

what

that

sounds

like.

You

didn't

get

no

glorified

body

here.

Like

I

said,

I

look

like

me,

you

look

like

you.

All

right?

And

no

process

had

started.

This

is

not

the

progression

that

we

were

talking

about

when

you

got

here.

You

got

invited

into

God's

family.

So

what

these

things

talk

about

when

we

go

back

to

the

previous

slide,

what

justification,

sanctification

and

glorification

actually

are.

Justification

is

a

one

time

thing.

That's

it,

you're

done.

You're

a

child

of

God.

The

adoption

papers

have

been

signed

and

they

cannot

ever

be

torn

up.

That's

final.

You

are

a

child

of

God.

Some

of

you

just

need

to

know

that

if

you've

accepted

Jesus

Christ

as

your

Lord

and

Savior,

you

are

a

child

of

God.

Nothing

in

this

world

can

take

that

from

you.

It

doesn't

matter

what

people

say

around

you.

It

doesn't

matter

what

your

own

thoughts,

your

flesh

might

try

to

trick

you.

It

is

a

lie

straight

from

the

pits

of

hell.

You

are

a

child

of

God.

Sanctification

is

what

God

does

in

us

daily,

making

us.

What's

that

word?

Holy.

And

we

know

glorification

is

what

God

will

do

to

us

finally

when

we

are

perfect

and

we

know

we're

not

there

yet.

So

once

again,

when

we

go

back

and

look

at

that

verse,

be

holy

in

all

your

conduct,

because

it

is

written,

be

holy

for

I

am

holy.

It's

telling

us

to

be

sanctified.

It

is

telling

us

to

be

more

like

Christ

on

a

daily

basis.

It's

not

asking

you

to

come

up

to

altar

call

and

said,

look,

I'm

for

rededicating

and

recommitting,

but

we

got

to

be

able

to

move

past

that

step

at

some

point,

right?

I'm

with

that.

And

there

are

times

when

I've

done

it.

It's

not

wrong

if

you

feel

compelled

and

led

to

do

that.

That's

not

a.

Not

doctrinally

incorrect

or

anything

like

that.

But

we

have

to

move

past

that

because

the

Lord

is

telling

us

that

this

is

the

space

that

we

need

to

be.

You

are

there.

You

are

a

child

of

God.

That

conversion,

that

adoption

has

taken

place.

Be

holy

in

all

your

conduct

now.

You

are

my

son.

You

are

my

daughter.

We

are

meant

to

be

living

in

sanctification,

but

for

some

reason,

we

just

can't

get

that

part

past

that

part.

So

a

little

bit

about

sanctification

is

what

we'll

talk

about.

This

verse,

be

holy

for

I'm

holy.

If

you'll

see,

Peter

quotes

it.

He

didn't

make

that

up.

It's

actually

from

the

book

of

Leviticus,

and

we

won't

read

it,

but

it's

from.

It's

a

bit

of

a

throwback

to

the

Old

Testament

that

by

this

time,

these

guys

all

knew

really,

really

well.

And

so

he

calls

back

to

a

time

when

the

Lord

actually,

through

Moses

is

giving

commands

to

the

priests,

and

not

just

any

priests.

It

was

the

priesthood

of

Aaron,

the

high

priest,

and

the

rest

of

the

Levites.

And

he's

telling,

be

holy

for

I

am

holy.

I

think

I

have

a

picture

on

the

next

slide

of

the

Ark.

And

I'm

sorry,

the

tabernacle.

And

we

looked

at

this

a

little

bit

yesterday,

and

we

talked

a

little

bit

about

how,

you

know,

there

were

some

people,

the

gen

pop,

if

you

will,

that

could

make

it

through

this

gate

and

bring

their

sacrifices

up

to

here.

But

even

before

they

got

here,

they

had

some

preparation

to

do,

and

then

they

finally

made

it

to

the

altar

and

they

brought

their

sacrifice,

at

which

point

they

handed

it

off

to

the

priests.

And

the

priests

then

took

that

offering,

that

sacrifice,

whatever

that

was,

and

did

what

they

did

with

it

to

offer

it

up

unto

God.

And

they

brought

it

into

the

tent

of

the

meeting.

And

then

finally

from

there,

the

high

priest

was

the

only

one

who

once

a

year

could

make

it

past

that

very,

very,

that

separation,

that

partition.

The

holy

of

holies,

the

most

holy

place.

And

so

Moses,

God

through

Moses

tells

them,

hey,

man,

when

you

come

near

this

temple,

when

you

come

near

my

presence,

you

better

get

your

act

together.

You

can't

be

Moses.

You

can't

be

Moses.

Aaron.

You

can't

be

Moses,

Aaron,

like

Phineas,

you

can't

be

Phinehas.

Eliezer.

You

can't

be

Eliezer.

You

need

to

be

holy,

because

I

am

holy.

And

in

all

your

conduct,

if

you

look

through

the

things

that

they

had

to

do,

you'll

see

that

it's

actually

a

pretty

extensive

list.

And

there's

chapters

and

chapters

and

books,

parts

of

the

Bible

that

we

just

want

to

skip

because

we're

just

like,

I

don't

even

know

what

this

means.

And

it

just

going

into

their

clothes.

And

you're

like,

I'm

not

a

fashion

guy,

so

I

think

I

can

skip

this.

And

all

this

intricate

detail

that

the

Lord

puts

into

the

clothing,

every

aspect

of

this

high

priest

life

as

he

prepared

himself

to

enter

the

holy

of

holies

or

even

just

serve

in

general.

And

so

we

see

that

everybody,

whether

it

was

the

Israelites

here,

the

priests

over

here,

or

the

high

priests

that

went

in

there,

each

had

standards.

They

weren't

the

same

standards,

but

they

had

standards.

Let's

look

at

some

of

those.

You'll

see

that

I

have

the

Israelites

here,

the

priest

there,

and

the

high

priest

over

there.

You'll

see

that

there

were

areas

of

their

lives

and

this

is

just

a

small

sampling

of

them.

I

encourage

you

to

go

back

and

read

this

stuff.

It

is

nuts.

What's

in

there?

So

first

we

have

the

Israelites.

First

they

had

to

wear

a

tunic

or

cloak

because

I

guess

that's

all

what

they

wore

back

then.

I

think

that's

the

modern

day

equivalent

of

Levi's

and

Den.

I

don't

know,

whatever.

Then

they

had

a

four

cornered

garment

and

a

tzitzit,

which

is

basically

just

tassel.

But

then

you

don't

get

to

say

tzitzit.

So

these

guys

could

only

show

up

to

the

very

end,

the

outer

courtyard

only,

and

they

would

bring

the

offerings

via

the

priests.

And

then

they

would

observe

the

festivals

and

sabbaths.

They

were

like,

you

know,

eight

days

marked

on

their

calendar

all

year

that

they

had

to

worry

about.

And

they're

like,

hey

man,

as

long

as

you

don't

miss

those.

We're

good.

And

so

they

would

show

up

on

those

days

and

do

what

they

need

to

do

and

bring

forth

whatever

they

need

to

bring

forth.

And

they

had

purity

rules.

Don't

get

me

wrong,

they

had

purity

rules,

but

as

you'll

see,

they

were

nowhere

near

as

intricate

or

detailed

as

the

others.

They

just

basically

had

to

shower

and,

you

know,

don't

touch

dirty

stuff,

unclean

animals.

There

was

a

big

list,

actually,

but

carcasses,

skin

diseases,

you

know,

just.

Just

be

hygienic

and

show

up.

It

was

like,

please,

come

on

now.

It's

the

desert.

It's

hot.

Just

come

on.

But

then,

you

know,

you

had

priests

who,

once

you

were

actually

inside

the

tabernacle,

they

had

all

this

stuff,

plus

a

couple

extra

things.

They

had

the

tunic.

They

had

the

under

breeches,

which

are,

I

guess,

breeches

that

go

under.

Don't

ask

me

what

that

means.

And

then

they

had

a

sash,

and

then

they

had

a

turban.

Right,

Typical,

like,

priest

stuff,

you

guys

all

know.

And

then

they

got

to

go

into

the

holy

place,

that

little

initial

part

of

the

tent.

And

it

was

strictly

when

they

needed

to

be

on

duty,

when

they

were

out.

They

checked

in

when

they

had

to,

and

they

checked

out

when

they

were

off

the

clock

and

they

offered

the

sacrifices.

They

were

incensed.

I

mean,

they

played

drums

when

they

had

to.

They

played

keys

when

they

had

to.

They.

They

did

whatever

it

is

they

were

told

to

do

once

the

planning

center

told

them,

hey,

man,

it's

your

week.

They

showed

up.

They

were

on

duty.

They

were

on

duty.

And

these

guys,

sure,

they

couldn't

touch

dead

animals

and

they

had

to

shower,

but

they

also

had

to

put

on

deodorant,

basically.

They

had

to.

Couldn't

touch

any

dead

bodies.

And

they

couldn't

just

marry

anybody.

They

were

limited

in

who

they

had

to

marry.

They

could

only

marry

a

virgin

of

Israel.

Somewhat

restrictive,

but

okay,

fine,

you're

a

priest.

I

guess

there's

some

level.

But

then

you

get

to

the

high

priest

and

it

just

gets

extra.

So

you

have

all

of

the

priest

stuff,

the

under

breeches

especially.

Don't

forget

those.

Then

you

had

the

Ephod,

the

breastplate

of

judgment,

which

is

basically

12

stones.

These

guys

were

blinged

up.

I

think

there's

a

slide

later,

we'll

look

at

it.

They

had

12

stones

representing

the

12

tribes

of

Israel.

They

had

a

blue

robe

with

bells

and

pomegranates,

because

God

likes

fruit,

I

guess.

And

then

gold

plate

that

says,

holiness

to

the

Lord.

Okay,

holiness

to

the

Lord.

And

so

these

guys

could

do

all

the

things

they

could

be

everywhere

that

the

people

could

be

gen

pop,

they

could

be

everywhere

the

Israelites

could

be.

And

they

also,

once

a

year

on

Yom

Kippur

or

the

Day

of

Atonement,

could

make

their

way

past

the

veil

into

the

holy

of

holies.

And

we

talked

a

little

bit

yesterday

about

how

this

was

a

terrifying

thing.

There'll

be

a

rope

attached

to

it

because

I

don't

know

if

Bobby

said

all

his

prayers

and

if

he's

going

to

make

back

out

this

year.

So

we

got

a

tug

if

it's

been

a

long

time.

And

so

these

guys

would

go

in

there

bearing

the

sacrifice,

the

weight

of

the

atonement,

blood,

and

they

would

perform

these

rites

for

the

nation

and

oversee

the

entire

service,

basically.

Pastor

Cecil,

right?

So

that's,

that's

the

high

priest.

Where's

your

12

stones,

man?

Come

on.

These

guys

though,

they

had

to

shower.

They

couldn't

touch

any

dead

bodies.

They

could

only

associate

with

certain

people,

marry

certain

people.

They

also

couldn't

just

touch

dead

bodies.

They

couldn't

defile

themselves

in

any

way.

They

couldn't

bury

their

own

dead.

Basically

they'd

be

like,

I

love

Mama

Dukes,

but

somebody

else

got

to

do

it.

I

mean

it's.

I

know

that's

a

joking

thing,

but

really

like

that

was

how

that

was

the

birth

that

they

had

to

give

anything

that

was

remotely

unclean,

no

physical

blemish,

their

concealer

had

to

be

on

point.

And

then

they

also

couldn't

just

marry

a

virgin

of

Israel.

They

couldn't

marry

a

widow

or

divorcee.

What

is

the

point

of

all

that?

The

high

priest

had

standards

because

he

went

into

the

holy

of

holies.

He

was

the

closest

to

God

that

at

the

time

that

any

human

being

was

allowed

to

experience.

And

so

he

couldn't

just

show

up

every

now

and

then.

He

couldn't

just

wear

a

tzitzit

or

whatever.

He

couldn't

just

hang

out

in

the

outer

courts

and

say,

hey

God,

you

come

to

me.

He

couldn't

just

touch

whatever

he

wanted.

There

were

standards.

He

couldn't

just

put

some

of

the

nice

clothes

on,

he

had

to

put

all

of

them

on.

He

couldn't

just

say,

alright,

God,

I'll

show

up

and

sit

on

the

back

row,

whatever

you

want.

No,

he

had

to

go

right

into

what

the

figurative

altar

would

be.

He

had

to

offer

sacrifices

for

the

entire

nation,

oversee

the

entire

temple

service,

and

he

couldn't

defile

himself

in

any

way.

That's

a

pretty

high

standard.

A

pretty,

pretty

high

standard.

The

reason

that

standard

existed

was

because

God

demanded

holiness.

If

you

Wanted

to

take

that

next

step.

If

you

wanted

to

experience

God,

if

you

wanted

a

day's

worth

of

communion,

a

day's

worth

of

intimacy

with

God,

a

moment's

worth

in

time,

a

day

that

you

might

not

know

if

you

would

survive,

if

you

wanted

that,

your

level

of

separation,

submission

and

sanctification

could

not

look

like

anybody

else.

I'd

like

to

bring

that

to

the

modern

church.

Little

bit

today

I

think

I

have

a

slide

for

maybe

the

modern

church.

I

think

it

looks

just

like

this.

It's

a

little

bit

out

of

order.

So

we

have

the

modern

day

equivalents.

And

look,

don't

nobody

get

offended

by

these

categories.

I

just

made

them

up,

okay?

And

if

it

makes

you

feel

any

better,

from

different

phases

in

my

old.

In

my

own

life.

So

first

you

have

the

garments

because

we

need

clothes,

right?

We

have

the

cold

Christian,

what

I

consider

the

lukewarm

Christian

and

let's

call

it

the

burning

or

the

sanctified

Christian.

So

what

does

the

cold

Christian

wear?

The

works

of

the

flesh.

They

wear

adultery,

fornication,

uncleanness,

lewdness,

idolatry,

sorcery,

hatred,

contentions,

jealousy,

outbursts

of

wrath,

selfish

ambitions,

dissensions,

heresies,

envy,

murderers,

drunkenness,

revelries.

Today,

one

church.

I'm

not

talking

about

this

place,

but

there

are

plenty

of

churches

across

the

country

that

have

lots

of

these

people

filling

up

their

pews.

I'm

not

making

accusations

at

anybody,

but

don't

think

you're

better

than

anybody

else

by

just

being

in

the

four

walls

of

the

church.

You're

only

made

right

by

being

in

right

relationship

with

God

and

nothing

else.

Okay,

but

this

is

what

a

cold

Christian

looks

like.

I

remember

being

this

cold

Christian.

I

was

first

at

my

Sunday

school

prizes.

I

knew

every

single

memory

verse

and

I

served

on

the

worship

team.

And

these

were

the

clothes

that

I

wore.

How

did

I

think

of

God?

How

did

I

consider

coming

to

God?

Well,

he

was

there

when

I

needed

him.

If

I

had

an

exam,

I

would

pray

if

I

needed.

If

I

was

in

a

financial

debt

or

burden,

he

was

the

guy

I'd

go

to

if

I

lost

my

keys.

Oh

God,

where

did

I

put

my

keys?

My

primary

duties

were

I

saw

church

as

a

place

not

to

come

and

serve,

but

be

served.

You

know

that

pastor,

I

don't

like

him

today.

Something

about

him

was

just

off.

The

worship

today

just

didn't.

It

just

didn't

hit.

You

know

what

I

mean?

I

just.

What

were

they

doing

with

those

lights?

That's

so

nuts.

How

dare

they

all

wear

red

on

stage.

You

can

tell

I

have

a

lot

of

like

traditional

church

trauma.

Still

working

through

Pray

for

Me.

Church

is

a

prop

church

on

Sundays.

Put

that

on

Instagram.

You

know,

there's

a

cool.

You

know,

it's

a

place

to

go

and

meet

people.

Find

your

next

girlfriend,

maybe.

And

your

purity

rules,

I

mean,

we

already

went

through

that.

You

pick

and

choose

the

ones

they

like.

I

mean,

you're

a

Christian.

I

have

some

standards,

but,

you

know,

I

don't

really

bow

down

to

any

Hindu

gods,

so

I

guess

I'm

good

there.

So,

yeah,

don't

bow

down

to

anything

else.

But

I

can

still

go

home

and

watch

some

pornography.

Don't

really

matter

so

much.

I'm

not

jealous

of

anybody.

I'm

good

with

my

life,

but

I'm

going

to

go

home

and

yell

at

my

wife.

I

don't

kill

anybody,

but

who

cares

if

I

go

and

get

drunk

on

the

weekends?

You

pick

and

choose

the

ones

you

like.

That's

the

cold

Christian.

I've

been

there.

Then

you

have

the

lukewarm

Christian.

Made

some

progress,

I

guess.

Clean

basin

on

the

outside.

You

got

your

act

together.

You

know

how

to

play

church.

I

was

this

Christian

also.

I

knew

what

to

do

and

say

to

get

the

uncles

and

the

aunties

or

the

elders

of

the

church

off

my

back.

I

knew

what

to

say

when

they

asked

me

how

I

was

doing

in

school.

I

knew

to,

on

my

way

to

church,

read

the

memory

verse

real

quick

and

make

it

look

like

I

was

fastidious

in

my

preparation

all

week.

But

inside

I

still

held

all

this

stuff.

It's

just

I

didn't

smell

like

it

on

the

outside.

Nobody

could

tell

because

I

upgraded

a

little

bit.

Their

access

to

the

sanctuary.

Sure.

Yeah.

You're

somewhat

consistent,

you

know,

because

your

dad's

a

pastor

or

whatever,

so

you

kind

of

have

to

be

there.

So

you're

there

all

the

time.

You

know,

you're

just

letting

church

happen

to

you

by

osmosis

or

whatever.

And

so

you're

in

the

door,

but

you

never

make

your

way

to

the

altar,

all

the

way

through

to

experience

who

God

actually

is.

So,

yeah,

sure,

on

the

outside,

it

looks

like,

you

know,

you

got

people

fooled,

but

you're

exactly

right.

Over

here,

this

is

just

like,

you

know,

a

slightly

upgraded

version.

Your

primary

duties

at

this

point,

you

know,

you're

somebody.

So

you're

the.

If

you're

a

pk,

you

gotta

serve.

I

mean,

nine

years

old,

you're

handed

a

guitar

and

it's

like,

go

figure

it

out.

Good

luck.

Because

all

the

people

10

years

ago,

like

10

years

older

than

you

left.

So

I

guess

you're

a

worship

leader.

Now

that's

what

happened

to

me.

And

you

serve

out

of

obligation

because

I

guess

nobody

knows

how

to

work

the

booth

or

plug

in,

turn

on

the

subs.

The

switches

are

all

in

the

back.

But

whatever,

that's

a

different

story.

It

becomes

a

works

based

theology.

Perhaps.

Maybe

you're

not

serving

out

of

obligation,

but

you

think

you

got

to

earn

your

way

through.

You

think

you're

still

stuck

at

sanctification.

I'm

sorry,

Justification.

Excuse

me?

You

gotta.

You

can

think

that

like

unless

you

say

your

Kumbayas

and

like

four

hallelujahs

and

five

praise

gods

or

say

your

memory

verses,

do

whatever,

the

Lord

won't

love

you,

or

it's

just

selfish

ambition

because

you

think

that's

the

next

way

to

getting

signed

by

Maverick

City

or

whatever.

You

know

how

to

follow

the

route.

You

see

the

path

that

people

laid

before

you.

And

just

like,

man,

I

just

gotta

put

in

my

time

at

ICPF

for

a

little

bit.

Maybe

do

a

little

PYFA

on

the

side.

Maybe

Pastor

Cecil

will

notice

me,

invite

me

to

Nacog,

and

then,

you

know,

next

thing

you

know,

I'm

at

the

Grammys.

You

know,

that's.

That's

that.

The

purity

rules

again.

You

got

the

white

shirt

going.

You

know

how

to

get

dressed

up.

Still

struggling

with

pornography.

Still

don't

know

how

to

get

your

act

together.

Lots

of

secret

sins.

But

now

it's

worse

because

you

can't

afford

to

smell

like

it

anymore.

Because

you're

a

pk.

You're

allegedly

a

worship

leader.

You're

supposed

to

have

figured

it

all

out.

Yet

you're

no

better

than

anybody

else.

So

you

sit

there

and

struggle.

Silence.

What

Peter

is

talking

about

in

First

Peter,

that

first

chapter,

the

verse

that

I

keep

going

back

to

about

being

holy

and

being

sanctified.

The

state

that

the

Lord

desires

for

you

and

me

to

be

in

is

right

here.

Right

here.

What

do

you

wear?

The

fruit

of

the

spirit.

When

life

tests

you,

you

provide

patience.

When

your

finances

take

a

hit,

you

still

have

joy.

When

you're

squeezed,

you

ooze

out

self

control.

When

the

person

you

hate

presses

you

beyond

belief,

you

bring

out

gentleness.

You

arm

yourself

not

with

any

of

this.

You're

actually

clean

on

the

outside

and

on

the

inside.

So

you

walk

forth

knowing

that

you're

armed

with

the

armor

of

God,

the

helmet

of

salvation,

the

breastplate

of

righteousness,

the

shield

of

faith,

the

sword

of

the

spirit,

and

the

sandals

that

bring

the

gospel

of

peace.

You

walk

with

the

authority

of

the

word

of

God

because

it

lives

in

you.

That

is

what

you're

clothed

with.

That

is

what

people

see.

But

for

once,

compared

to

the

other

two,

that's

actually

what's

on

the

inside

of

you,

your

sanctuary

access.

God

is

no

longer

your

genie.

You're

not

just

content

with

sitting

in

the

back

or

whatever,

the

figurative

sense,

backbenchers.

You

guys

are

good.

Jesus

loves

you

still.

But

no,

you

won't

take

anything

less

than

intimacy

with

God.

You

will

say,

lord,

I'm

not

leaving

until

you

talk

to

me.

Because

I

know

that

you

want

to

talk

to

me.

Your

Word

says

it.

I

believe

in

it.

I

believe

for

it.

You

are

God

and

I

am

your

son.

And

so

you

are

in

constant

communication

with

God.

You're

not

just

in

this.

There's

no

access

anymore.

You

basically

live

in

the

sanctuary.

That

is

the

presence

of

God.

When

you

walk

places,

people

say,

that

person

is

different.

Something's

different

about

her.

She

doesn't

act

the

way

they

do.

She

walks

with

a

certain

knowledge

about

who

she

serves.

She

carries

herself

differently.

Their

primary

duties,

just

like

Jesus

says,

being

the

salt

of

the

earth.

The

city

on

the

hill,

that

is

proclaiming

one

thing

and

one

thing

only,

and

that

is

Jesus.

When

they

speak,

it's

Jesus.

When

they

walk,

it's

Jesus.

When

they

talk,

it's

Jesus.

That's

it.

That

is

the

only

purpose

for

their

existence.

That's

all

they

want

to

do.

Just

Jesus

and

their

purity

rules.

They

resist

the

devil,

they

flee

temptation

and

they

pursue

holiness.

They

fight

the

thing

that

they're

supposed

to

fight,

which

is

the

enemy.

They

run

away

from

the

things

they're

supposed

to

run

away

from,

which

is

temptation.

And

they

run

after

the

thing

that

they're

supposed

to,

which

is

God

and

holiness

that

he

demands.

You

know

what

our

problem

is?

As

a

side

note,

we

flip

these

around

a

lot.

We

like

to

slow

dance

with

the

devil,

Do

a

little

bachata

like.

No,

you

hang

up.

No,

you

hang

up.

No,

you

hang

up.

It's

like,

how's

that

worked

out

for

you?

I've

played

that

game

before.

It

doesn't.

You

feed

the

flesh

even

a

tiny

bit.

You

give

the

flesh

the

enemy

even

an

inch,

he

will

take

a

mile.

And

I

spent

years

of

my

life

thinking

that

I

could

outsmart

him,

when

my

flesh

was

still

in

all

of

its

depravity,

and

I

wasn't

letting

the

Holy

Spirit

run.

You

can't

just

do

that,

though.

You

can't

just

run

away

from

things.

You

need

to

run

to

things.

You

can't

just

run

away

from

the

enemy.

You

need

to

run

to

God.

Where

are

you

going

to

run

to?

The

world

is

not

going

to

give

you

an

escape.

The

Church

in

and

of

itself

is

not

going

to

give

you

an

escape.

You

need

God.

You

need

to

run

to

God.

That

is

the

connection

that

most

of

us

don't

make

for

a

long

time

and

some

of

us

still

haven't

made

today.

So

once

again,

when

it

comes

to

that

verse

of

be

holy

for

I'm

holy,

it

is

in

all

your

conduct,

in

what

you

wear,

how

you

talk,

how

you

speak,

how

you

carry

yourself.

Every

decision

that

you

make

in

life

is

anchored

on

what

does

Jesus

desire

of

me.

It

is

my

life

is

not

my

own.

To

you

I

belong.

I

give

myself

away.

I

have

nothing

else

in

this

world

to

glory.

I

have

nothing

else

in

this

world

to

boast

about

but

the

work

of

Jesus

Christ

for

my

life.

That

song

we

just

sang

earlier,

I

give

my

whole

life

to

honor

this

love.

I

heard

a

lot

of

voices

saying,

how

confident

were

you?

I

wasn't.

I

couldn't

get

through

it.

I'm

not.

Doesn't

make

me

better.

I

felt

convicted

is

what

I'm

trying

to

say,

because

I

felt

the

Lord

asked

me,

have

you?

Yeah.

You're

preaching.

Yeah.

You're

up

in

front

of

a

bunch

of

people,

making

them

giggle

every

now

and

then.

But

have

you,

in

fact,

given

me

your

whole

life?

I

haven't.

Not

all

of

it.

I

want

to

so

bad,

but

I

fall

short

of

the

glory

of

God.

And

I

need

him

every

day.

I

need

him

for

this

moment.

I

need

him

for

the

next

five

seconds.

Why

was

it

so

easy

for

me

to

sing

that?

How

many

other

songs,

how

many

other

truths,

how

many

other

scriptural

realities

and

axioms

have

I

just

blazed

through?

Yeah.

I

give

myself

away.

You

can

have

it

all.

I

am

yours.

And

then

the

way

you

go

and

live

looks

nothing

like

that

profession

you

just

made.

In

the

sight

of

the

assembly

of

the

great

God,

I

wondered

sometimes

what

it

is

the

Lord

must

think

of

me

when

I

have

these

fiery

moments

at

the

altar

and

I'm

just

so.

Yeah,

God,

you,

everything,

all

of

who

I

am

is

yours.

And

then

30

seconds

later,

I'm

like.

Or

30

minutes

later,

when

I'm

driving

home,

I'm,

like,

cussing

at

somebody,

you

know,

driving

down

the

road

or

whatever

the

case

may

be,

because,

you

know,

New

York

traffic.

No,

no,

no.

But

you

get

what

I'm

saying.

You

have

a

version

of

that.

All

of

us

do.

It

shouldn't

be

that

easy.

This

isn't

a

catch.

Right.

I

mean,

by

that

metric,

every

song

would

fail

us.

But

that's

the

point.

It's

so

that

when

you

come

to

the

House

of

God,

and

put

your

life

up

against

the

measuring

stick

that

is

Jesus

Christ

up

against

this

process

of

sanctification.

It's

meant

to

break

you.

It's

meant

to

make

you

realize

how

far

short

you

fall

of

the

glory

of

God.

It

is

meant

to

make

you

break

down

at

the

foot

of

the

cross

and

cling

onto

his

feet

and

say,

jesus,

Jesus,

Jesus,

I

need

you.

I

need

you.

Places

like

these

are

not

meant

to

have

a

single

dry

eye

in

here.

It

is

not

meant

to

have

a

single

unpenitent,

unrepentant

heart

in

here.

This

place

is.

Is

for

broken

people,

for

you

to

continue

to

be

broken

over

and

over

again

until

you

get

built

back

up

and

built

back

up

and

built

back

up

until

you

start

to

look

like

Christ.

But

we

don't

need

that.

Because

I

had

my

moment

in

the

sun.

The

Lord

spoke

to

me.

I

figured

it

all

out.

I've

arrived.

Well,

your

preacher

tonight

certainly

has

it.

I

definitely

have

it.

I

got

a

long

way

to

go.

And

that

journey

will

not

end

until

Jesus

comes

or

he

calls

me

home.

And

the

reality

is,

if

we're

really,

really

honest

with

ourselves,

again,

not

accusing

anybody,

I

put

myself

here

first.

That's

probably

the

case

for

all

of

us.

I

have

a

photo

that

I

want

to

show

of.

You

know,

we

talked

a

lot

about

the

clothes

that

these

people

wore.

So

that's

the

12

stones.

Pastor

Cease

will

take

a

good

look.

You

know,

I'm

sure

JCPenney

has

something,

but

they

had

a

bunch

of

different

versions

of

these

outfits,

right?

This

particular

thing,

ironically,

the

plain

thing,

was

actually

their

special

outfit.

That

over

there

was

more

of

their

everyday.

You

know,

this

is

what

they

walked

around.

This

is

how

they

were

identified

as

a

high

priest.

This

particular

outfit

was

reserved

for

Yom

Kippur,

the

Day

of

Atonement.

It

was

reserved

for

that

day.

And

so

they

would

walk

in

and

have

their

moment,

carry

out

all

of

the